100 marijuana plants found in Escondido Avenue home

By BEAU YARBROUGH

Thursday

Jul 10, 2008 at 5:13 PMJul 14, 2008 at 2:18 PM

Two men are in custody on drug charges after a resident called police after allegedly spotting them breaking into a mailbox.

On Thursday at 1 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was called after a witness reported seeing two men breaking into a community mailbox near the intersection of Escondido Avenue and Ranchero Street.

Deputies from the Victor Valley station's Multiple Enforcement Team arrived at the location and discovered the suspects' vehicle in front of a residence on the 6500 block of Escondido Avenue.

After obtaining a search warrant, the deputies discovered approximately 100 marijuana plants were growing inside. An additional five pounds of marijuana and several grams of heroin were also discovered during the search.

Chad Welch, 37, and Matthew Ryan, 32, both of San Diego, were arrested on charges of cultivation of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. They were booked into the West Valley Detention Center on $50,000 bail.

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com.

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